Business class is better than first class was decades ago, at least the seat is.

I tend to enjoy business class but wouldn't pay much for it. One can sleep much better on a transatlantic red eye but economy class on the daytime JFK-LHR is better. Bottom line is that I might spend miles but not thousands of dollars. I have flown on company funds, though.

I wish I didn't see the value in first class and was happy to travel in economy. i'd be able to pay $1000 fares instead of $5000 ones!

On a longer international flight, its not about the better meal and free/better booze but about the ability to arrive well rested.

I'm travelling next month to India (from NYC) for work. My flight lands at 8am and i'll be headed straight to the office where i'll be working the full day then expected to go to a nice dinner that evening.

It'll still be a rough day, but the difference between Y & J is the difference between getting no 'real' sleep and me getting 6 hours of decent sleep. Also the difference between me being able to conduct productive meetings and being an incoherent space cadet for the first day.

The $3500 extra for J is a lot of money, but when its the difference between a productive trip and a non productive trip its a no brainer.

Domestic flights, i'll take the free upgrade when given but (with the exception of the premium JFK-LAX services) i'm not paying more than the bare minimum (recently paid $22 to upgrade r/t JFK-CHS) for an extra few inches of legroom.

I suspect that for many long-haul business travelers it's basically a cost-vs-time trade: some prefer this approach, others opt (or are required) to travel a day earlier (perhaps in Premium Economy if it's within corporate policy or if they're willing to pay the difference out of pocket) and use the extra 24 hrs at the destination to get better rested ... one additional night in a hotel, and one additional day of meals and incidental expenses, is typically a lot less than the difference between PE and J

It's the whole package for me. The queues are either non existent or very short, the desk staff smile and converse, the lounge is a space away from the hoards and you get space and time and help to board. Then the on board service feels many steps above getting fish, chicken or pasta thrown at you. Admittedly I'm talking intercontinental First here and I'm lucky enough to use it, but I'm not going back down the blunt end again for a gold pig.

jrl767, extra night is not always an option in terms of schedule

EK / EY having shower even helps with going straight into meeting

My company's policy sets a limit on the cost of the flight you can book depending on the destination and the time of year. If you spend less than this amount they give you 25% of the difference. When i was younger and single i'd fly coach, i'd take a 9 hour layover, i'd fly Kuwait airlines, all in the name of getting some money back. Now that i'm older and have a wife and child and have a salary i'm comfortable with, my preference is to fly in comfort and minimize travel time.

i'll pay for airport VIP service with tarmac transfers etc before J/F.

getting off paid F then standing in queue would never be fun.

If your employer were to offer you $5000 to fly on a Sunday AND give you Monday off, would you be willing to spend your Sunday in Y?

True but with some F you get that thrown in anyway. You hear a lot about CDG being a hell hole for transfers and general getting about but in F you get the limo and a PA. Never been in a queue there. Same with Munich or FRA.

I get it.

I fly a low budget carrier in the states because paying more for a ticket on a plane with more levels/frills is not worth it to me and I can tolerate pretty much any domestic length flight.

Taking my first international flight next month. I did a small upgrade to Premium Economy. Little more room, could pick a seat early so I could get a window, plug ins, etc. On a 9hour flight totally worth a couple hundred bucks. (Upgraded my Eurostar ticket as well. It was less than $20 to get the upgrade so it was worth it at that price)

First class would have cost me over a thousand more. Totally not worth it for free alcohol and a flat bed, at least to me.

I've basically concluded that I generally can't sleep at all on domestic flights and can maybe sleep 2-4 very restless hours on international flights. Granted, I've never flown J internationally so the flat bed might make a difference. However, I have flown domestic F and the slightly extra legroom and recline does not help me sleep at all. (On the other hand, I do seem to adjust very quickly to time changes as a result of my inability to sleep on planes.)

Based on all that, I might shell out a bit extra money for J or try to use miles for it on international flights, but I wouldn't pay multiple thousands over the Y price.

if employee doing mission critical etc work on sunday and monday
or employee told to go to airport to catch a flight 'right now'
or NOT employee, but sole proprietor, and same immediacy/value
= "not always an option" and there is first hand discussion on FT
"take Monday off" - when salary/revenue is thousands/millions?
time (and the value/revenue of time) and revenue vs costs

on arrival at those airports, can pay for tarmac transfer to private lounge

IIRC LH FCT services target outbound passengers (arrivals need it more..)

The last 2 trips I have done to India, I have flown J, ( I am only in India for 2 days)
It was well worth it (got great deals because of a sale started by Qatar)
The thought especially of not having to worry about getting to sleep on the return from Bom (1.55am) was worth it alone. and the fact that since I dont check bags, knowing that the overhead bin would be empty made it even better.

Granted I dont do this everytime I am going, but it sure feels great when I do

There are other threads on this topic. Everyone is different, and where and with whom you travel are also large factors. Upgrading domestically in Europe often simply means an unoccupied middle seat, which no is not worth the cost they charge for it.

I lost status a few years ago and have been relegated to economy or paid first for domestic US. I am a large guy, and for me it is a big difference. I have noticed it far more since I have been stuck in the back so much more - it really turns a flight into a very miserable experience. At the same time I don't think it is sometimes worth what they try to charge, and I have started doing the extra seat thing. Of course, it depends on aircraft. I can take a E170 or 190 for a few hours in coach a lot easier (wider seats) than a 737.

As a leisure traveler and someone whose time may not be worth as much as some others here on the boards, those extra amenities like transfers and such don't mean as much. Lounge access would be real nice, but I can entertain myself in an airport a lot easier than I can deal with sitting in a cramped seat. But again, everyone is different.